


Bucky Barnes's Trip to (Another) Earth

by laurus_nobilis



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon-Typical Technobabble, Crossover, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Nonnies Made Me Do It, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Episode: s09e12 Hell Bent, Post-Recovery Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-18 11:19:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10615812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurus_nobilis/pseuds/laurus_nobilis
Summary: Bucky has no idea of how he got from the supposed safety of Wakanda to a complete stranger's garden. What he does know is that Donna is kind and helpful and potentially a great friend - but it's hard to make friends when deep down you know you're probably there to kill them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It took me so long to plan and write this that here I am now, posting it right on time for it to be contradicted by season 10! It's almost finished, however, and I'll be posting the rest of the chapters as they're edited.
> 
> As it says on the tags, it's not _quite_ a fix-it. But it's pretty close.
> 
> The title is a play on _Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars_ , a movie serial from the late '30s.

He woke up cold and wet and surrounded by broken glass.

It took him a few moments to even focus, let alone make sense of his surroundings. First he had to fight down the panic of being suddenly aware at all. Waking from cryo was never a pleasant experience, but this was bad even for Bucky's very low standards. He tried to move and found himself off-balance. His arm was still gone, he realized, which in a roundabout way was a good thing. That meant there probably wasn't any missing time between now and the last thing he remembered. And wasn't _that_ weird, waking up with all of his memories. He wasn't injured either - well, not any new injuries, at least. The ones still left from the fight, and then a few scratches from the cryo pod's glass. Those wouldn't last for long.

The confusing part was that the pod hadn't broken in the Wakandan lab where it had been last thing he knew. He refused to consider it bad news, at least for now; he was pretty sure he would be surrounded by dead or wounded people if that was the case. Instead, he was alone. He couldn't see very far, lying down like this, but he could tell that he was in some kind of garden or park. It seemed pretty big.

After a couple of failed attempts, he had just managed to sit up when he heard a woman's voice from behind him.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?"

Bucky turned around with some difficulty. As it turned out, he _was_ in someone's garden. He could see the house, now, modern and expensive looking. It had to belong to rich people. But the more pressing issue right now was the red-haired woman standing not too far from him, holding a broom like it was a baseball bat and very visibly trying not to look worried.

"Yes, you!" she insisted. "You can't go crashing into people's homes like that!"

"I--" He was still having some trouble speaking, which didn't calm the stranger in the least. Her eyes widened.

"Wait. Are you an alien? You better come in peace, mate."

"What... No. Not an alien," he managed. It wasn't very eloquent, but at least he was up to actual communication now. On the other hand, given her reaction and the state of the pod, he was beginning to wonder if the 'crashing' part was in fact literal.

"All right, then." She didn't move or let go of the broom, but her stance relaxed just a little. "How _did_ you get here?"

"Dunno," he admitted. He looked around once again, trying to make sense of the situation now that he was a little more awake. First, the obvious: the cryo pod had somehow been taken from Wakanda. No one had bothered to stick around for when he regained consciousness. But that was all he had, for now. "You... didn't see what happened?"

"Just heard the noise." The woman frowned and him. "Wait a second. There was that crash, and you've got all this glass and twisted metal around you, and you just look like you've picked a fight with a cat. At worst. How's that possible?"

"Long story," he replied, pretty much on instinct. Then he realized that kind of answer would make any reasonable person paranoid. "Uh. But I do come in peace."

She finally lowered her broom at that. After a moment's consideration, she took a few steps forward and stretched out a hand. Bucky stared. This had to be the weirdest part of this whole situation.

"... what are you doing?"

"Come on, now! You're not just going to sit there, right?"

"Well - I kind of have to. My legs are still numb."

"That's why I'm helping you up," she said. "I don't bite, you know."

"I... really don't think you can do that. I'm kinda heavy," he told her, almost apologetic.

"Nonsense--" She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up. _Tried_. "Wow. You _are_ heavy."

"Told you," he replied. "I just gotta wait it out."

"Okay," she said. Then, proving that things could still get even stranger, she sat down cross-legged beside him. Bucky didn't know what he had expected her reaction to be, but it certainly wasn't that. He must have been staring again, because she frowned at him. "What?"

"I thought we weren't just going to sit here."

"Well, what else do you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Not that," he admitted. "I'm a complete stranger who just showed up out of nowhere."

"And you can barely move," she added. "Anyway, easy way to stop being a complete stranger. I'm Donna. And you are?"

He hesitated. Then he decided to take the risk. It wasn't as if his day could get much worse, anyway.

"Bucky," he said simply. The woman - _Donna_ \- didn't react. Either she was an excellent actor, or the name genuinely didn't ring any bells, even when combined with his very visible metal shoulder. He wasn't sure of which option he liked the least.

"There. That wasn't so hard," she said. "So, you really have no idea of how you got here?"

"Not a clue," he replied, and that much, at least, was true. What little he'd managed to learn about his situation wasn't adding up... or, in any case, it added up to something that was making him kind of paranoid. Donna didn't seem at all aware that she now had the Winter Soldier sitting in her garden. Shouldn't she have seen his face all over the news? And it wasn't the only thing she apparently didn't know about. She had mentioned aliens like a fact of life, but nothing else - no Avengers, no superheros, not even a vague mention of enhancements or powers. Not even when she very clearly noticed that a regular person should have been a lot more injured than he was. He frowned. "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore."

"Well," she said, "at least you aren't asking what year it is or something."

"... ah. Actually."

" _Seriously?_ " Donna gave him an exasperated look, but at least she didn't make him ask. "It's 2016."

"Oh. All right, that's-- that's good to know." Bucky could have left it at that, but it felt wrong not to give her at least the pretense of an explanation. Even if it was a very flimsy one. "I've... lost time, before."

For a moment, Donna looked like she wanted to say something. Then she shook her head and didn't ask for details, which was a relief. 

"Feeling better?" she asked instead.

Bucky made an attempt to move his legs before he replied. Everything seemed to be in order.

"Yeah, I think I can handle this now." He stood up and, almost as a reflex, offered Donna his hand to help her in turn.

"Great," she said once she was standing. "Come on in, then."

Once again, Bucky stared at her. It was starting to feel like this was his only reaction to anything, but he couldn't help it. 

"... what?"

"Into the house! What, do you want to just stand around in the garden like a wet scarecrow? You need a shower. I'd offer you some clothes, too, but I'm sure none of Shaun's will fit you."

"You just met me," he said. _I could be a killer_ , he didn't add. 

Donna didn't seem at all impressed.

"Well, then. You must have better plans. I'm sure it's a great idea to just run off looking like you escaped from a hospital."

She was right, that was the worst part. Bucky had enough self-control to hold back the frustrated groan that was threatening to come out, but he had to admit she had a point. There wasn't exactly a lot he could do out there on his own. Not until he put his ideas in order, at least.

"Fine," he sighed. "But only until I figure out what to do next."

"We," Donna corrected. "Go on, then, let's get you indoors."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and followed her into the house.

* * *

Donna's house looked just as modern and expensive from the inside as it did from the outside. But it was obviously a home, too; it looked lived in. There were plants, ornaments that were clearly there out of sentimental value and not because they matched any particular style, a few books lying around, and plenty of photographs. Most of them were of Donna and a man of around her age (the Shaun she'd been talking about, he assumed) and others were probably relatives or friends. He wondered if Donna was the type to give people a tour of the house. He could always use a mental plan of the building, even if he didn't exactly intend to stay here long. At the very least, he needed to figure out the quickest exit routes.

"It's a bit too much, I know." She grinned at him, a little embarrassed, and Bucky realized she must have confused his attention for surprise. "I'm still getting used to it myself."

New money, then. Although, of course, that didn't give him a lot of information. There were plenty of ways for people to get very rich very fast. He was running through the possibilities when he realized what he was doing. It was instinct, mostly, the urge to gather as many facts as he could. But it still felt wrong. This woman was helping a perfect stranger for no reason at all and here he was, looking for intel. He wasn't supposed to be that person anymore.

"You okay?" Donna asked, frowning slightly. He shrugged, not quite meeting her gaze. At least he didn't need to explain why he was feeling awkward. The situation was strange enough on its own, even without his current line of thought involved.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Just... Taking it all in, I guess."

"Don't worry too much about it." She waved her hand and lead him further into the house. "You just go take that shower. Like I said, I don't have any clothes that'll fit you, but we do have one of those fancy towel racks with heat. You can leave them there to dry."

For a moment, Bucky considered arguing. Then he decided it wasn't worth it - it was obvious that Donna wasn't going to change her mind and, besides, a shower _would_ be nice. He let her lead him into the biggest, most luxurious bathroom he'd ever seen outside Wakanda. He couldn't hold back an impressed whistle. She grinned at him, almost proud.

"Take your time," was all she said, and she left.

Although it hadn't been in his plans, Bucky did take his time after all. It wasn't the smartest course of action, he knew that, but the temptation was too hard to resist. He told himself that he could at least take the chance to put his thoughts in order. He even made an honest effort and all. It was hard to keep his focus, though, when he was both very tired and very confused. For a long while he simply let the warm water wash over him, a welcome change after the bone-deep chill of cryo. But even delicious warm showers had to end at some point. When he stepped out, his clothes were dry. Turned out that heated towel rack had been a good idea. There was also a pair of fuzzy slippers waiting for him, but he knew that already. Donna hadn't been nearly as sneaky as she thought when she half-opened the door to leave them there - he'd tensed behind the shower curtain for a moment, still a little paranoid, still _very_ unused to people just being nice to him.

He stepped out of the bathroom and tried to find Donna. It wasn't hard at all. He could hear her talking on the phone, and all his alarms went off again as he followed her voice towards the living room. Was she warning someone about him? HYDRA? Ross? The good old-fashioned police? He stayed near the doorway, not quite entering the room yet, just paying attention to the half of the conversation he could hear.

"... no, I have no idea. We haven't talked a lot yet. I think perhaps he hit his head." There was a pause. "Of course he's staying, he doesn't even have _shoes_. I'm not going to kick him out!"

Ah. There was the guilt again. Donna was going out of her way to help him, and here he was, being all paranoid about her. It wasn't as if he didn't have good reasons, sure, but... truth be told, she had a lot more reason to be wary than he did. Even without knowing who he was, she was taking a huge risk.

"Sure, we'll figure something out. Don't we always?" Whoever she was talking to said something that made her laugh. Bucky felt his gut twist. "Love you too. Bye."

He should just leave, he thought. Donna was a good person. She was kind and generous and loved, and he was-- _well_. He might not know how he'd got here or who had made it happen, but there was really only one answer as to why. He should run while she wasn't looking and never come back.

... except he had no plan, no intel, no money. Hell, he barely had any clothes. Whoever had done this had the means to steal a cryo pod from a high security lab in Wakanda itself, so trying to run away like _this_? He'd be back here in ten minutes. Quite possibly without his free will. No, he needed to get himself together before doing anything else. It still felt wrong - everything did, if he was honest with himself. There was no real good option here.

The least he could do was to stop just standing there being creepy, he supposed.

"Donna?"

She turned around and smiled at him.

"Oh, hey! I was just talking to Shaun. He's going to get some clothes for you before he comes home. I measured those while they were drying."

... Well. That explained why she'd taken so long to, in theory, leave a pair of slippers in the bathroom. What was impossible to explain was the _why_.

"He's what?" was all he managed to say. "You just-- you don't have to do that."

"No, but I _want_ to," she said simply. "What's the point of winning the lottery if we can't spend our money however we choose? Just roll with it."

"But..."

"You don't get a say in this, you know. Now come on, you need to eat something. It'll be a while until it's time for dinner."

"All right," he said, after a moment's hesitation. He could already tell that trying to argue with Donna was an exercise in futility.

"Perfect," she told him, and led him into the kitchen. "I've got biscuits."


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't matter how much Bucky denied it, Donna was pretty sure he was an alien. That was the only possible explanation for this whole thing. It didn't change anything, of course - he still needed her help, even if he was an alien after all. Even if he was lying about not being one. He was hurt and lost and obviously confused, and she was having none of that. The least she could do was give him something to eat, so she had practically dragged him into the kitchen, where he sat in awkward silence while she took a bottle of juice from the fridge.

"I've been thinking," he said, all of a sudden, without ever looking up from his biscuits. "About how I got here."

Ah, progress at last. Donna sat down in front of him and stole a biscuit from his plate. He didn't react.

"You remembered what happened?"

"No." She could've sworn he winced at that. Weird. "I just... I have an idea. But it's gonna sound crazy."

"Come on, crazier than today?" It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but he looked up at her long enough to lift his eyebrows in a very telling gesture. She shrugged. "Try me."

"Fine." He took a deep breath before he went on. "Fine. I think I'm from a parallel universe."

Donna snorted. She hadn't known what to expect, not really, but she knew it wasn't _that_.

"Really. What, you're a sci-fi fan, then? Star Trek and that kind of stuff?"

"Flash Gordon." He grinned, a little sheepish. It suited him. Made him look younger, somehow. 

"Wow. Retro."

"I guess," he said, and the tiny smile disappeared. "But... I'm serious."

This time, she stared at him for real. His expression didn't change. There wasn't the slightest hint that he might have been joking about this. He meant it, Donna realized. He was one hundred percent convinced of what he was saying. It took a moment for the idea to sink in properly, and once it did, she felt very glad that she had already been sitting down.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Honest to God, that's my best guess." Bucky at least had the decency to look apologetic. He hesitated for a moment, and then went on. "I can explain-- well, I can explain why I think so, at least. I'm not completely sure of what happened."

"Do tell," she said, and leaned back on her chair. This ought to be good. He nodded just once, very serious, before he started speaking again.

"All right. So... You've got aliens here, right? I mean, from the way you were talking about it earlier, I'm guessing it's a public knowledge thing."

"Yeah. It's in the news every once in a while. Some people think it's covering up other stuff, but really, I doubt that. What could they be covering up that's weirder than _aliens_?"

"We've got aliens too," he said. Donna got the distinct feeling that it was less about getting to the point and more about sidestepping her question, which didn't make sense because she hadn't been expecting a real answer anyway. Unless _he_ was weirder than aliens. Now there was an idea. Maybe she was wrong about him after all.

"But?" she asked.

"But that's not all we have." He gave her a thoughtful look. After a moment's hesitation, he asked: "You ever heard of the Avengers?"

"You mean the TV show? Emma Peel? Still retro, aren't you?" It was a joke, of course, but he didn't seem to get it. He looked genuinely confused.

"... Uh. No. I mean - superheroes. In real life."

"I'm pretty sure I would have _heard_ if superheroes were real."

"Well, yes. That's just it," he agreed. "Back where I'm from, most people would think anything weird had to do with them, one way or the other. But you didn't mention anything, so I figured you couldn't know. And you said it's 2016, which means the timeline is the same as mine, so if this isn't a time travel thing... well. Parallel universe. That's the more reasonable option."

The look Donna gave him must have been very expressive, because this time Bucky definitely winced.

"... I know how that sounds."

"But you believe it."

"I can't think of anything else."

She believed him, too. That was the weirdest part of all this. She couldn't tell if he was right, of course, but either he was telling the truth about being convinced of it or he was one hell of an actor. And... okay, maybe she should be more worried. This could mean he was crazy, after all. He did have a suspicious lack of regular clothes, he obviously hadn't shaved or cut his hair in ages, and she didn't even know what to begin to think about that metal shoulder of his. And he'd shown up all of a sudden surrounded by broken glass and twisted metal and with no idea of how - again, _if_ he was telling the truth. When she put it that way, it didn't seem like a great idea to let him into her house at all. Everything pointed to him being dangerous.

But he also had the saddest puppy eyes in the world and said "thanks ma'am" when she offered him biscuits.

"If you're right," she said after a moment, "and you ended up here, then - there has to be a way to send you back, right? I mean, I'm still not kicking you out," she joked. "But there must be people worried about you, on the other side."

"Yeah." He bit his lip, looking concerned. "Yeah, that... That's going to be a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"My best friend's a bit. Impulsive."

"Well, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, doess it? Maybe he's looking for a way to get you home."

"Maybe he's trying to punch the multiverse in the face." He sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "Sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this."

There were a thousand questions Donna wanted to ask, but she couldn't even decide where to start. In the end she just blurted out the one that first crossed her mind.

"Are you an Avenger?"

" _What?_ " Bucky looked so shocked that it startled her in turn, at least for a moment. But she pressed on. It was the only thing that make sense.

"Come on, do you think I forgot about it already? You _fell from the sky_. And look at you! You haven't even bruised!"

"Look, I--" He took a deep breath. "I'm not an Avenger, okay?"

"Okay." She lifted her hands in defeat. "Never mind, then."

He shifted in his chair, uncomfortable, and looked away. These mood swings were going to give Donna a headache. It was hard enough to know what to make of him even without the sudden unexpected silences. She stood up again with the excuse of getting another pack of biscuits, if only to give herself something to do while she figured out what to say next.

"So," she said, deciding to go for something silly for a change of pace. "You don't think your friends will _literally_ try to punch the multiverse, right?"

Bucky snorted, and she counted that as a victory.

"I don't know. I think Steve might give it an honest attempt." He tilted his head, then, as if considering the situation further. "He does know a lot of geniuses, though. They might come up with something useful."

"Wow, poor guy. Geniuses can be really annoy--"

Donna never got to finish the sentence. The headache came all of a sudden, as it always did, without giving her even the slightest chance to brace herself. It was blinding pain, unexpected and unmanageable. And it felt like an eternity, even though she knew from experience that these things lasted only a few seconds. She came back to her senses curled up on herself, gasping for air, her cheeks wet with tears. The usual. Except instead of looking up to find Shaun or her mother looking concerned as always, there was Bucky. He was crouching nearby, looking at her intently but without trying to touch her. His expression was unreadable.

"Donna?" he said, his voice very soft. "You with me?"

"... yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

"I'll get you some water."

It wasn't a question, but Donna nodded her agreement anyway. By the time she managed to get herself to a chair, Bucky was there with a glass already. She took it, grateful, and he didn't say a word while she drank. 

"You can ask, you know," she said when she was done. He shrugged and looked away, self-conscious.

"It's none of my business."

"Well, aren't you the gentleman."

It must have come out harsher than she intended, because now he was making those sad puppy eyes again.

"I mean--" he said. Then he sighed, and seemed to relax a little. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"It's familiar, isn't it?" she told him instead. It might have sounded out of place and it was definitely prying, but she _knew_ he got the point. When Bucky saw what happened to her, he didn't just not panic. He wasn't even surprised. "You said you've lost time."

"... yeah," he admitted after a few moments. "It's complicated. Probably not quite the same, anyway."

"That'd be hard to tell. I don't know _what_ happened, so."

Bucky frowned, and all of a sudden he looked very focused. Donna didn't even want to know what kind of conclusions he was jumping to. What had happened to _him_ , to get him to make that face?

"What do you mean?" he asked. He sounded like he was trying very hard to keep his voice neutral but didn't quite manage it. It was impossible not to notice the tension behind.

"See, I just... I never got the complete story. Everyone's really vague about it. For good reason, that is, it's not like they're keeping things from me on purpose." She sighed. "I lost about a year. A whole year of my life that's just-- gone. And every once in a while, when it looks like I'm about to remember something... Well. You've seen what just happened. No one _can_ tell me, because bringing up the subject just makes it worse. Problem is, _I_ don't know what the subject is so it keeps happening anyway."

There was an awkward pause, after that. But at least it looked like Bucky had relaxed a little bit, even though he was still frowning and staring at the floor.

"It's like a hole," he said, very softly. "You know it's _there_ but you can't tell what's missing."

"... yes," she agreed. "Yes, it's a lot like that."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, still not looking up. As if it was somehow his fault. Once again, Donna wondered what the hell his story was. Although, truth be told, she probably didn't want to know.

"It's all right." Se forced a smile. "Most of the time I don't even notice."

He gave her a thoughtful look for a moment, but didn't push the subject. Whether it was for her sake or for his own, or perhaps both at the same time, Donna didn't care. She appreciated it anyway.

* * *

Shaun arrived home just when the silence was starting to get a little awkward. As promised, he had gone shopping. He'd brought a pair of jeans and a few t-shirts in solid colors. Bucky looked like he didn't know whether he should thank him or apologize, so he compromised by disappearing to go get changed. Shaun raised his eyebrows, amused, once he had left.

"You didn't tell me he was built," he said. Donna gave him a playful elbow on the ribs.

"Come on, now. He must be half my age."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" He grinned at her for a moment, but then became serious once again. No more delaying the inevitable, then. Donna braced herself. "So. What do we know?"

She told him. To his credit, Shaun didn't freak out too much, in spite of all the details that would have warranted it. All he did for a while was sit down on the chair Bucky had just left and stare at nothing in particular.

"I know this is weird even for us," Donna said, trying to sound level-headed, "but-- well. He seems nice?"

"He thinks he's from a different universe," he said. His flat tone wasn't exactly making things better, either.

"Well, yes, that sounds crazy, I know. But crazy things happen all the time, right? There were planes frozen in the sky a while ago! How is this weirder than _that_?"

"All right," Shaun sighed. Good man. He knew how this arguments usually went, after all. "Suppose he _is_ from a different world and not, I don't know, a serial killer or something. What do we _do_? We can't exactly help with that."

She was the one who sighed, this time. He had a point.

"I know. I guess all we can do is... offer somewhere to stay until we figure things out."

"I thought you'd say that." He have her a sideways, knowing smile, before he insisted with the common sense thing again. "Are you sure he's not dangerous?"

"We've been alone together all afternoon. If he wanted to steal from us or something, he had plenty of opportunity. The only thing he did was sit around looking sad."

Shaun took a deep breath and then seemed to finally relax a little.

"He does look impressively sad," he agreed. "So. I'm guessing the guest room's ready."

"Took care of that while he was on the shower, yes."

"That's my Donna."

It would have been a great moment for a kiss, so of course that was when Bucky returned. That guy had no sense of timing. He did look a bit better with normal clothes, though, even if he was still wearing those silly fluffy slippers.

"All right, now that we're all here," Donna said, "time to eat."

It was a relatively normal dinner all things considered. A little quiet, perhaps, but not as awkward as it could have been. Shaun talked about his day at work. Bucky looked like he was trying to make himself invisible, and he barely participated in the conversation, but at least he was eating. In fact, he had quite an appetite for a guy who had been wolfing down biscuits until very recently. All those muscles were high maintenance, she supposed. Plus, she was sure there was _something_ weird going on with him, apart from the obvious. He might be telling the truth about not being an Avenger, but there was no way he was just a garden variety non-super human either.

Still, it felt wrong to keep asking him questions right now. It'd been a long day. She showed him to the guest room after dinner, after he insisted that he really didn't need any tea, and saved her curiosity for the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

It was still early when Bucky woke up. He was used to sleeping very little, even in normal circumstances - or what counted as normal for him, in any case - and this time he had more reason than usual to be nervous. He hadn't taken his clothes off, just in case he needed to fight or run or both. In fact, he hadn't intended to sleep at all. It was kind of unnerving that he hadn't managed to avoid it. But the night had come and gone without incident. He wasn't sure of what to think about that. Whoever had brought him here was being sloppy. Inefficient.

... this was not a bad thing, he reminded himself. He could still find a way to get out of this situation without hurting anyone. He still had a chance.

He was definitely not going to fall asleep again, though, that much he knew. He waited until he heard movement elsewhere in the house, and then he left the room. Shaun was in the kitchen, making breakfast, and hadn't seemed to notice him so far. That was enough for Bucky to realize what he was doing - he was far too used to being extremely quiet. He made a conscious effort to walk a little louder as he approached, if only to avoid giving the poor guy a jump scare.

"Oh, hey. Good morning," Shaun said when he noticed him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Sure," he lied. No need to upset him for something that wasn't his fault.

Shaun motioned for him to sit down, and so he did. He hadn't felt this awkward in a long time. At least eating breakfast gave him something to do. He wasn't really in the mood to start small talk, but he figured he could pass it off as just beeing sleepy. It _was_ early, after all. Of course, he wasn't lucky enough to avoid talking entirely.

"So," said Shaun. "You got through the Donna hurricane."

"That's one way to put it," he snorted. "Is she always this...?"

"Great? Yeah."

Bucky smiled a little. He was going to say 'impulsive', as a matter of fact, but he certainly understood the feeling.

"I still can't believe she didn't just call the cops on me." He paused for a moment, staring into his cup. Then he took a deep breath. "Thank you. For... everything."

"Don't worry about it. It's sort of what we do. What _she_ does, mostly. She's always in the middle of something... interesting."

Well. That was an understatement. There was so much that Bucky wanted to ask - if she had always been like that. If it had to do with the reason she'd lost an entire year of memories. But it felt wrong, prying about that behind her back. In the end, however, he didn't need to.

"I know what you're thinking about," said Shaun, with a little lopsided smile. "But I met her after it happened, whatever 'it' was."

That was all Bucky could get from him about it, thought to be fair, he didn't particularly insist either. It wasn't much longer until Shaun left for work. It was funny. There used to be a time when Bucky was sure that if he was ever rich enough, he'd never want to work a day in his life. But he understood the appeal, now. He'd spent far too many idle days with nothing to do but think, and while he was pretty sure that Shaun didn't have many deep dark secrets to brood about, the boredom alone could become unbearable. It was no wonder he still wanted something to do, even if he didn't need it. In fact, he was sure that Donna also had her own daily routine that he was now interrupting. No point in dwelling on that, though. He swallowed his guilt with the rest of his breakfast.

* * *

As soon as he was alone, Bucky moved to the living room, where he'd seen the TV was. It was time to try and get some news. He half dreaded what he might see, but it turned out to be just boring. Nothing about mysterious incidents in Wakanda. Nothing about Zemo or Ross or any Avengers-related fallout. Certainly nothing about himself. He was right, then. He was most definitely in a different universe. He took a deep breath. So. The good news - no one knew him here. He wasn't going to get HYDRA knocking on Donna's door just to get to him. On the other hand, and this was the _very_ bad news, this confirmed that whoever was behind this had to be ridiculously powerful. 

He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of movement nearby. Still, he didn't want to be creepy. He just stayed where he was until Donna came into the living room herself, holding a steaming cup of tea. She looked surprised to see him there.

"Wow. You're up early. Did you have breakfast already?"

"A while ago," he said. "I was just watching the news."

He didn't think that was a strange thing to say at all, but apparently Donna found it suspicious for some reason. She squinted at the TV, then at him.

"The volume's really low," she said. Bucky blinked.

"I didn't want to wake you."

"Yes, but how can you hear anything at all? _Unless_ -" she dropped on the couch next to him with what was clearly a pause for drama "-you've got actual superhearing."

"You never give up, do you?"

"I don't know what that means."

Bucky knew he really shouldn't encourage her, but he couldn't hold back a chuckle, anyway. Not when she was saying things like that. Donna would like Steve, he decided. She would've liked Steve even back before everything.

"Look," he replied, with a resigned sigh that he didn't even need to fake, "it's complicated."

"Oh, come on. That's not answer!" She nudged him with an elbow, a kind of casual touch that he hadn't known in way too long. It felt strange. Nice, but strange. "I'm not asking for your life story. I just want to know if you have superpowers."

"Really," he said, deadpan. "Looks to me like you made up your mind about that already."

"Now you're just being difficult."

"Maybe that's my superpower."

Donna elbowed him again, harder this time. It didn't hurt in the least, of course, but it got the message across. He bit his lower lip, still undecided. And then he compromised.

" _Fine._ I'm strong, and I heal fast. But you knew that already." 

"See? That wasn't so hard."

It was, though. It was extremely difficult, and not even the tip of the iceberg. And, somehow, telling her a tiny part of the truth felt even worse than not saying anything at all. Dancing around the subject was one thing, but this was getting closer to lying to her face than he'd like to admit. Even if the end result wasn't all that different. To make things even more uncomfortable, Donna made good on her word and didn't ask him anything else. She focused on her tea for the next few minutes, while he pretended he was still paying attention the news.

Then Bucky heard someone walking through the supposedly empty house, and he kind of wished they had the awkward silence back.

He tensed and gave a sideways glance at Donna, who looked like she was about to say something. He shook his head and she closed her mouth again, getting the hint. That was one problem less, then. Bucky got up in perfect silence and moved closer to the door. Whoever was out there, on the other hand, wasn't even trying not to make noise. It was almost like they wanted to be noticed. It made no sense, but Bucky didn't question it. At least it gave him a few seconds to gather himself together. He could put up a good fight if he needed to, even without his arm. He tried for the best angle where he could see the hall without being seen himself - not at all easy, in a regular house, but he did the best he could - and peeked through the gap on the almost closed door.

He'd had no idea of what to expect, but he knew it wasn't this. The intruder was a woman dressed in clothes that would have already been old-fashioned when he was a kid, literally _skipping_ down the hall. No wonder she was being noisy. Bucky had moved as little as possible and he was certain that he hadn't made a sound, but she still stared right at the narrow slit of light and focused on him, with the creepiest smile. So much for the surprise factor, then. He stepped over to block the entrance to he room just as she opened the door. It didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Well? Aren't you going to say hello?"

Bucky glared at her. The woman didn't _look_ dangerous, but that didn't mean anything. She had somehow managed to get this far into the house without being noticed sooner. This was someone who knew what she was doing. Besides, he didn't trust that smile.

Predictably, Donna had thrown all caution to the wind and was already trying to get past him. He didn't move.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" she shouted from somewhere behind him. "Look, lady--"

" _Time_ Lady," the stranger corrected. It sounded like nonsense to Bucky, but judging from the pained noise Donna made, it must have meant something to her. "But you can just call me Missy."

"Point is," Donna said, and she sounded like she was making a great effort just to speak, "you can't just barge in like that."

"But I brought you a present!" She smiled again, all sweetness and light. "What, you didn't like him? Left him right on your doorstep, too. Like an overgrown cat."

Bucky could feel himself go pale.

"You," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "You brought me here. Why?"

"Aw, look at him, asking like he doesn't know," she snorted. "You're clever, you've already figured it out. You've known it since you arrived. Why are you ever anywhere?"

"Why," he repeated, forcing himself to sound steadier this time. "Why _here_?"

He didn't say what he was truly thinking - why her, why would anyone want to hurt this woman - but he didn't need to. Whoever this Missy person was, she knew more than enough to read between the lines. And that was without even taking into account the way she looked at him, like she could see the inside of his mind.

"Later." She waved a hand, dismissive. "We're still expecting someone and I'm not going to tell the story twice. Where is that man, anyway? He's always late. But I guess that gives _us_ more time. Are you friends yet? It's no fun if you aren't friends."

"Hey! Mary Poppins!" Donna interrupted her. "Stop babbling and explain yourself."

But she didn't. There was no time. Suddenly there was a loud sound, like sirens, and for a moment Bucky thought some kind of alarm had been triggered. But then he realized it was somehow coming from inside this very room. He didn't have the chance to think about it, anyway, because right when the noise started, Donna screamed. He turned around right in time to see her almost collapse. He wrapped his arm around her, and Donna had enough presence of mind to hold on to him, but it looked like she was having trouble just staying upright. She was grabbing her head with her free hand and, when the screaming stopped, she was still breathing much too fast.

"It's okay. It's okay, I've got you," he said, trying his best to be soothing. His voice was almost drowned by those strange sirens and he couldn't be sure that she'd heard.

The sound stopped as abruptly as it had started. A large blue box had materialized from out of nowhere, right in the middle of the room. Just in case that wasn't weird enough, the door opened and a tall, grey-haired man stepped out. He stared at Donna for a moment, then turned to look at Missy, furious.

"What did you do to her?"

"Me?" she laughed. "Come on. You know perfectly well this is all you."

"Stop it!" Bucky interrupted them. He almost hadn't expected it to work, but they did both turn to look at him, as if they were surprised that there still were other people around them. "I don't care _what_ you're doing. Just stop."

"Aw. You _are_ friends," Missy said, with a slow smile that managed to make even him feel like a deer in the spotlight. The man, on the other hand, focused on Donna once again. She was doing a bit better, now, standing up a little straighter, but she still hadn't let go of Bucky's arm.

"I know it doesn't look like it right now, but I'm here to help," the stranger said. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then added: "I'm the Doctor."

That meant absolutely nothing to Bucky, which was starting to become a pattern. But this time Donna seemed to feel the same way as him. She looked up, confused, at this weird man who had just appeared from thin air. And he... well. He looked like his heart was breaking, and Bucky realized with a sudden pang of guilt that he'd seen that expression before. And not just that. He'd seen it on _Steve_. Things were starting to fall into place and it was worse than he had imagined.

And then, before anyone could say anything else, Missy was laughing.

"Aren't you three quite the team! You forgot your bestie, you forgot an entirely different bestie, and _you_ \-- oh, you're trying so hard, aren't you? Because any moment it could all be gone again." She snapped her fingers. "Just. Like. That."

It was _that_ , of all things, what made Donna spring back into action. Before Bucky could even process those words - and that very thinly veiled threat - properly, she'd already stomped ahead until she was right on Missy's nose.

"Hey! Leave the kid alone."

"Kid? Pfft, she could be your grandpa," Missy replied, waving a dismissive hand. The way Donna's eyes widened in shock when she heard that seemed to make her even happier. She raised her eyebrows and turned towards Bucky. "Oh? You didn't tell her which war you fought in, Sarge? No, no, let me guess - you didn't tell her you're a Sarge at all."

The answer took Donna by surprise. She was making a brave effort to get herself together by now, but she was still not quite right, and if Bucky could tell then so could everyone else.

"Fine," she said anyway, defiant as ever. "He's a soldier, so what?"

"Oh, no. He's _the_ Soldier."

"No," Bucky said, with more determination than he knew he still had in him. "That's not who I am. Not anymore."

"I don't think you have any say in it, darling," Missy replied, unimpressed. "And you really should tell your new friend all about your story, you know. How, once upon a time, there was a little soldier boy who fell from a train."

Donna turned around to stare at him.

"You fell from a _train_?"

"And then it got worse! A dragon captured him. Kept him locked up for the longest time, and put a spell on him so he'd--"

"Stop that!" the Doctor interrupted. "It's not funny. You're never funny."

"Oh, don't worry. We'll get to your own magic spells too."

It looked like they were going to start arguing again. For someone who claimed he wanted to help, the Doctor wasn't really doing anything, but at least this might be a distraction. If he was quick enough, Bucky might be able to make a run for it. But then Donna put a hand on his arm. She didn't even seem afraid of him, to make things worse. Just... worried. For _him_. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Bucky?" She looked up at him in confusion. "What is she talking about?"

"I'm--" _Dangerous_ , he should have said. _A monster._ "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I lied to you," he whispered. "She's right. I know why I'm here."

Donna took a step back. He couldn't blame her, but it still stung a little. He'd let himself grow too comfortable. She still didn't look scared - she still didn't know who he was, what he could do - but she was obviously hurt.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Did you plan this?"

"What-- no! No, that's not it at all!"

"You give him too much credit," Missy interrupted. Bucky startled; he hadn't even noticed when she and the Doctor had stopped their own argument. "He doesn't make plans."

"That's not true," he said, and if it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than the others, well. Who could blame him? "I make my own choices."

"Well, fat lot of good that did you. What did it change?" She grinned at him. "You've always been just a mean to an end. For your army, for HYDRA, for Zemo. And now for me."

The worst part was that he couldn't argue with that. This was going to happen, Bucky realized, with a distant, oddly detached feeling. It _was_ going to happen no matter what he did. He should have left this place as soon as he was able to move, but now he'd lost his chance and people were going to get hurt. Again. All because he had been selfish enough to stay.

"Are you kidding me?" Donna snapped, and that was unexpected enough to distract him from his brooding. "This isn't even about him, then? You -- you somehow brought someone from a whole different universe just to mess with me?"

"No," said the Doctor. He looked exhausted all of a sudden. "To mess with _me_."

"Oh, and _you_ ", she huffed. "You better have a real good explanation for this. I've got a splitting headache since you showed up and I haven't seen you do any of that so-called helping you said you were here for."

"Yes," Missy said, still smiling, while she made herself comfortable in one of the armchairs as if she owned the place. "Do explain. This'll be fun."

The Doctor looked straight at Donna and said, blunt, "I'm the reason you lost a year."

" _What_ ," Bucky began to say. He took a step forward almost without noticing, but Donna grabbed his arm to stop him.

"No, I want to hear this."

"We used to be best mates," the Doctor continued, with a sad smile that made Bucky's gut twist with how familiar it looked. "Had the greatest time. Then I made you forget about it, but I can't give you more details - I really _can't_ , that's the whole reason for the headaches, you're going to have to take my word for it. What goes around comes around, though. Not that it'll make you feel any better."

"He means he has a best friend shaped hole in his head now, too," Missy translated. "Terrible person, that girl. I liked her. Actually, I'm sure you would've liked her too, Sarge."

Bucky ignored her. He stared at the Doctor instead, as the last few pieces finally fell into place.

"That's why I'm here?" he said in disbelief.

"That's precisely why you're here," the Doctor replied. "Three sad amnesiacs walk into a bar! Oh, just look at her, she thinks it's hilarious. We're all going to make each other miserable, right? But!" His face, inexplicably, lit up. "She miscalculated."

"How?" Donna asked. The Doctor's grin somehow became even wider, and he leaned closer to grab her shoulders.

"You're _Donna_! Brilliant, wonderful Donna. No one could be miserable around you."

"I beg to differ," said Missy. She stood back up, straightening the skirt of her dress as if ready to get down to business. "My not so secret weapon is still right here in this room, after all."

"Don't," Bucky whispered. "Don't do this."

"Oh, but _I'm_ not going to do anything." She smiled again, very slow. "I just want to have a few words with you, Soldier."


	4. Chapter 4

"I just want to have a few words with you, Soldier."

That meant nothing to Donna, and it felt like an insignificant thing to say, on top of all the ridiculous nonsense she was still trying to process. But everyone else's reactions proved her wrong. The Doctor let go of her shoulders, suddenly alert, and Bucky had turned white as a sheet.

"Run," he whispered.

"Bucky? What--"

" _Run!_ "

She had no time to keep arguing. The Doctor grabbed one of her arms and practically dragged her towards the hall, slamming the door behind them. He was stronger than he looked, and Donna found herself striding along even though she was very much trying not to.

"What are you doing? Bucky--"

"Told you to run, and for good reason," he said, without even slowing down. "Make no mistake, when he comes out of that room, he won't stop. He won't know you. Don't bother trying to talk to him, it doesn't work."

"Then what _are_ we supposed to do?" They were close to the main entrance of the house by now. "Get out on the street and hope for the best?"

That, of all things, made the Doctor stop in his tracks. He stared at the still closed door as if it might start talking and give him a plan.

"... no. No, we can't risk him getting out. Is there any safe room or--"

A loud noise coming from the other end of hall interrupted him. Bucky had ripped the living room's door straight off its hinges with his only arm. The Doctor muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like _show-off_ , but it wasn't the strength itself that shocked Donna. She had already guessed right about his superpowers, after all. No, what bothered her was the look in his eyes, somehow both empty and focused at the same time. And Missy was still standing right behind him, grinning like it was her birthday.

"Go on, dear. Show them what you can do."

Bucky - no, _the Soldier_ , whatever that meant - moved towards them without even hurrying. Somehow that was even scarier than if he'd run. He managed to look threatening even in those stupid slippers.

... which gave Donna an idea. It was a long shot, but it was better than just standing there like fools, anyway. This time it was she who grabbed the Doctor's arm and started running.

"I don't have a safe room," she panted, "but I have the next best thing."

She made a dash towards her bedroom, then all the way across it, and pushed the Doctor into the large walk-in wardrobe. Funny how it didn't seem like such a waste of money now. She closed the doors behind them and leaned onto them, exhausted even though it had been a very short sprint. The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Are we running away to Narnia?"

"I figured his slippers would slow him down," she explained. "So we could hide if we got here first."

"It's the _only_ place to hide. And he can hear us," he said. Donna punched his shoulder.

"Then shut up!"

The Doctor gave her a very expressive glare, but to his credit, he did shut up. Then he started taking off all the clothes that were hanging from one of the bars. When Donna mouthed _What?_ , he gestured with his head towards it, as if asking for her help. She had no idea of what he was trying to do, but at least it looked like he had a plan now. It was something to do, in any case. A few seconds later, when it was finally empty, the Doctor removed the bar from its usual place. Perhaps he was going to use it to defend themselves? Bucky must be here already, slippers or not. The hall wasn't that long.

"You two do realize," Missy's amused voice came from somewhere on the other side, "that wardrobe doors open to the outside?"

Donna barely had time to move before the door opened, but at least she didn't fall down when it did. The Doctor pulled her out just as Bucky practically dove into the wardrobe, unstoppable like a locomotive. Then he used the bar to jam the doors from the other side.

"Actually, yes, I did," he said, smugger than ever. Missy rolled her eyes at him, but Donna had bigger issues in mind than their petty fights.

"He's going to punch through that," she said. "I mean, good thinking and all, but _he's going to punch through that_."

As if on cue, the doors started rattling. Missy tilted her head.

"No, not punch. It's more of a full-body effort." She smiled. "He's efficient."

He was _very_ efficient, in fact. It wasn't just the doors that were about to break. The thick, metal bar from the wardrobe was actually beginning to bend. Then there was a loud, screeching sound from behind her, and she jumped aside just in time to see the Doctor slam her bed right into the wardrobe's entrance. She breathed a sigh of relief; that might buy them a little more time. Missy didn't seem to think so, however. 

"Do you really think you're going to stop the Winter Soldier with a bed?"

"Well, I don't _have_ a team of superheroes, do I?" the Doctor said. He was starting to move the bedside tables now.

Donna rushed to help, if only to stop herself from feeling useless. She didn't have a lot of hopes for this makeshift barricade. And she was right not to. Bucky might have turned into a terrifying force for destruction, but not a mindless one. He'd already stopped trying to push his way out. As soon as he got enough of an opening to get his hand out, he grabbed the bar jamming the doors and pulled it inwards instead. The doors gave in and snapped right through the middle, the broken pieces still dangling from the hinges. For a moment, Donna thought he'd step on the bed to get out, but she was underestimating him. He just casually kicked it all the way to the other side of the room.

Instinct kicked in, and Donna did the only thing she could think of: she threw a night lamp at his head. It was pointless. It didn't even make him angrier. He swatted it away like it was a fly. Then he picked up the bar. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"Oh, that's no fun," Missy said before things escalated. "Give them a sporting chance, will you?"

He dropped the bar as soon as she spoke, and that instant obedience was almost scarier. Then again, after what he'd just managed to do with his bare hands - _hand_ , even - seeing him approach wasn't exactly reassuring, weapons or not.

"You don't have to do this," she blurted out. He didn't stop walking.

"Donna," the Doctor said, from somewhere among the mess made by the bedside tables and the broken doors, "what did we say about reasoning?"

"You don't _have_ to!"

"Yes, he has," said Missy. "I told him to."

"But we're friends!" Donna insisted. She was cornered, now, with her back to the wall, and Bucky wasn't retreating. It was almost like... well, no, _he_ wasn't enjoying dragging it out, but Missy was. He was making it last because she'd said so. And that, Donna realized with unexpected clarity, was her way out. "We're friends. That's what she told you."

Bucky blinked. His hand twitched, as if he didn't know what to do with it. And Donna pressed on.

"She said so! Remember? Back in the living room? She said we were friends."

"That doesn't matter!" Missy interrupted. She was getting upset for the first time, so much that it showed on her expression, and Donna counted that as a victory. That had to mean her idea was on the right track. "She's your target, Soldier!"

He turned towards her, suddenly looking very lost.

"But you said--"

His voice sounded tiny, incongruous with everything else about him. Donna found that she was surprised to hear him speak at all.

"Never mind what I said! I'm telling you to finish her! _Now_!"

Bucky didn't have time to make a decision one way or the other, because that was when the Doctor hit him over the head with the long forgotten bar. It didn't do anything except startle him into turning around. The Doctor took that chance to jab a small, stick-shaped gadget between the metal plates of his shoulder. There were some beeps and a light show - and then Bucky dropped to the floor, out cold.

"What did you _do_ to him?"

"Just a little shock," the Doctor explained, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "He'll be fine, he's a tough one."

"Not tough enough," said Missy, who sounded bored again. After all this nonsense, it looked like she wasn't more than mildly disappointed at her plan being ruined. "What a waste."

"You need better ways to work on your abandonment issues," he replied. He was checking Bucky's vitals now and didn't even look at her. She shrugged.

"Yes, Mother."

Then, as if nothing had happened, she climbed out the bedroom's window and strolled away. Donna stared after her in disbelief, then back at the Doctor, who was still kneeling beside Bucky as he checked his pulse.

"That's it? Aren't you going after her?"

"No," the Doctor said, almost as a sigh. He sounded extremely tired. "I can't leave you alone with him like this. We don't know how he'll wake up."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm _hoping_ he'll be his normal self again. But I don't _know_."

"Figures," Donna snorted. She sat down cross-legged on the floor next to them. "So she was counting on that to escape?"

"Yes. She's clever. A real menace to life and the universe in general, but clever, I have to give her that." He gave her a thoughtful look for a moment. "How's your headache? Better?"

She had to stop and think about it, which was a good sign, she supposed.

"I'm not sure. I think maybe I just got used to it."

"Yes, that sounds about right. Just try to stay distracted," the Doctor said without meeting her eyes. "I can't stay long, you know. I'll make sure he's fine, but then... I really can't be around."

"Right. And you can't tell me why." She almost wanted to laugh. "That's convenient."

"I know it sounds like I'm making it up, but--"

"I believe you," Donna interrupted him. She wasn't in the mood for either apologies or excuses right now. "That's not the problem."

"I know," he said. He stayed in silence for a while, then out of the blue, he asked: "Are you happy, though?"

That took her completely off guard. She turned to stare at him.

"... wait. What?"

"Come on. Don't make say that again." He was looking at everything but her, now. It was almost endearing, how embarrassed he was. "Are you?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well-- I don't know. Maybe you're bored. Maybe you should travel the world! You've got the money, you've got someone to go with you. You could be out there having adventures."

"I could," Donna agreed. She'd thought about it before. They'd even talked about it, with Shaun - taking a sabbatical, traveling around. It'd never gone past a vague plan so far, but the idea was always there in the background. For the moment, however, she just shrugged and nodded at Bucky's unconscious form. "Then again, I'm kind of having adventures right here."

"That you are," the Doctor replied with a sideways grin. He didn't press the issue anymore, so Donna took the chance to change the subject.

"So, that Missy person. What's her problem? Did she really do all this just to mess with you?"

"More or less. She was messing with all of us, really. She loves that. You know what happens when you mix Coke and Mentos? She likes to do that, but with people."

"That's still a lot of work just for a bit of sadistic fun."

The Doctor sighed. He hesitated for a moment, but then he seemed to realize that he wasn't getting out of explaining.

"She's always trying to get my attention," he admitted. "We did use to be friends, a long time ago."

"Riiight. And by 'friends', you mean, what? It's complicated on Facebook?" she asked. He gave her a confused look.

"It's complicated everywhere."

This time, Donna was the one who stared at him in disbelief. Then she shook her head, amused. It'd all finally clicked.

"I can't believe it."

"What?"

"All this time I thought Bucky might be an alien, and it wasn't him. It was _you_." She did laugh, this time. "There's a spaceship in my living room right now."

"A spaceship _and_ a time machine," he said, unable to hide the pride in his voice. He'd barely finished the sentence when he deflated again. "Sorry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you that."

"Why? Because you can't take me time traveling? That's a terrible excuse. You could tell me a good story, at least."

"Donna, you know I--"

"Doesn't have to be mine," she said, and gave a very pointed sideways look at Bucky. The Doctor's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oooh. Oh, right, he's not very talkative, is he? Well, it's pretty much what Missy said, except less fairytale-ish. He got captured in the war by this mad scientist fascist supervillain types, and they brainwashed him to work for them. That's how she controlled him. He's back to being one of the good guys, now, but the right sequence of words can still make him do what you tell him, when he hears them."

"Wait. He has to hear the whole sequence?" Donna asked. "Then how come he didn't just punch her in the face or something? Or run away before she was done?"

"She stopped him, of course. She's always been good at mind control."

"So you're telling me she hypnotised him so he'd stand still and she could hypnotise him."

The Doctor glared at her.

"Just because it sounds silly doesn't mean it isn't very complex science."

"Sure." She didn't even bother to argue. She was waiting for a passed out brainwashed man from another universe to wake up, anyway. Her standards for what kind of things were believable had lowered quite a bit in the past few hours. "All right, then, next question. But this one's tougher."

"Go on, then."

"You know he's had an awful life, yes? And you can travel through time. Then why don't you go back to save him?"

"It's a fixed point in time."

The Doctor spoke very quietly, but still, as soon as he said that, Donna felt like her head was going to split in two. She had to take several deep breaths until she composed herself, and when she did, he was very pointedly not looking at her.

"I can't go into detail," he said, before she could even ask anything. "Because that's what happens when I do."

"Then give me the abridged version," she snapped. "I have a right to know. You have a time machine and you aren't doing anything to help him, so, _why_?"

"All right. All right, short version." He paused for a moment, as if he was looking for the right way to explain. "Everything makes ripples, yes? But some things make bigger ripples than others."

"... not _that_ abridged."

"Fine. Let's say Jane lives in a nice small town and always goes to the same restaurant. One day they open a new one, she goes to see what it's like, and meets a man she falls in love with. Eventually there are a bunch of little Janes running around. But what happens if, that day, she doesn't go to the new place?"

"Uh. The little Janes are never born?"

"Maybe," the Doctor conceded. "But, far more likely, she'll meet him some other day, they'll still fall in love and they'll still have children. Because they're two average people living in a small town and the timeline tends to correct itself."

"I don't see your point."

"The point is, it's not always that easy. Imagine if Julius Caesar hadn't gone to work that one day."

"So," Donna frowned, trying to make sense of it all, "you can't help because he's too important?"

"That's not what I said. _Everyone_ 's important. But he's too..." He made a vague gestured with his hands. "Involved. The Winter Soldier was created, literally, to make history. If Bucky Barnes stays on that train, his world gets a completely different century."

"But that's not fair!"

"Never said it was," he agreed. "I also didn't say we can't help him _now_. Well, in a moment."

"Really? What do you mean?"

"I mean," the Doctor said, and tilted his head towards Bucky, "he's about to wake up."


	5. Chapter 5

It took Bucky a few seconds to remember what had happened. He didn't even want to open his eyes, at first. His head felt fuzzy, and while nothing _hurt_ , he was exhausted. He just wanted to curl up and go back to sleep. Trying to figure out what was going on simply felt too hard.

Then he recognized the quiet voices talking nearby and he sat up as if someone had dropped a bucket of cold water on him. He scrambled backwards, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the others. He didn't manage to go far; only an instant later there was already a wall at his back.

"It's all right!" the Doctor said. "It's all right, we're fine. You didn't hurt anyone."

Bucky let himself slump against the wall. It was a relief to hear that, even if he still felt awful about the whole situation. At least he hadn't done anything he couldn't fix.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I--"

"It's not your fault," Donna stopped him. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Of course it is," he said. "I should've told you."

"But you didn't," said the Doctor, his tone carefully neutral. "Why?"

He thought about it for a moment. Then he shrugged. It wasn't as if he had a good excuse for this, so he might as well be honest.

"I guess it was nice to pretend, for a while."

"Pretend what?" asked Donna.

"That I could still make friends."

"We _are_ friends," she said. "Don't be ridiculous! Come on, look at me."

He opened his eyes again. There was no point in being difficult. She did look unharmed, and so did the Doctor. The room, however, was a complete mess. He winced when he saw the wardrobe's destroyed doors. Donna must have noticed his expression, because she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. It took an effort on his part, but he managed not to flinch away from her touch.

"We're fine," she repeated. "And she's gone. It's over."

"Are we sure...?"

"Definitely," the Doctor confirmed. "She's had her fun. She's not going to try the same thing twice."

Bucky relaxed almost in spite of himself when he heard that. He nodded in acknowledgement, suddenly at a loss for words. Or maybe he was just too tired. Donna gave him a small smile and squeezed his shoulder, then left to go get him some water. He hadn't asked for anything, but wasn't surprised by that, anyway. She was kind and he probably looked terrible. He had a lot to think about, in the meantime. He needed to come up with a new plan. The entire reason he'd gone into cryo was to avoid something like this happening again... and yet, here he was. Even _that_ hadn't worked. He'd exhausted all his options.

Except for one.

"Is it true?" he asked, his voice quiet, once Donna wasn't in the room. "You really erased stuff from her mind?"

The Doctor gave him an unreadable look, but didn't deny it.

"You must think I'm a monster."

"I can't call anyone a monster." He paused, hesitating only for a fraction of a second. "And that's not why I'm asking."

"... ah." The Doctor almost looked like he'd relaxed a little when he heard that. "I see."

"Can you do it?" Bucky asked, his voice coming out more desperate than he would have liked. "Can you get you rid of what they put in my head?"

"I... can't be sure. I don't know what they did, exactly. I can take a look, and see if I can help." He frowned slightly. "But you need to understand, you'd be taking a big risk."

Bucky snorted. He couldn't avoid it.

"Compared to what? I've tried everything. I was supposed to be in a freezer in a high security lab right now, and you saw how well _that_ worked."

"I'm not telling you not to do it. Just that you need to be very, very sure. Do you really want people poking in your brain? After everything?"

"Of course I'm sure!" he snapped. And, all right, it wasn't as if he _wanted_ an almost stranger to go looking around in his mind. Maybe he was the slightest bit tense about it. But he couldn't miss this chance. He took a deep breath, doing his best to calm himself, before he went on. "Even in an entirely different world, I'm still a weapon. I can't do this anymore. I'm dangerous."

"Everyone's dangerous. You're not that special."

"You don't understand--"

"You did terrible things," the Doctor interrupted him. "You didn't want to, but you did them. They're real and their consequences are real and you can't take them back, no matter how much of a good man you promise yourself you'll be from now on. Of course I understand."

Whatever Bucky had been expecting to hear, it certainly wasn't that. He looked up, surprised, but the Doctor had averted his gaze. It wasn't just some speech, he could tell that much. This was someone who _got_ it.

"Then you must also understand," he said softly, "that I don't want this to happen ever again. I need to do it."

"Do what?" Donna asked, startling him. She was standing on the doorway with a glass of water and a concerned look. Bucky smiled at her, reassuring. He could see how that might not be the greatest thing to hear without context.

"Get help," he said, and gave the Doctor a sideways glance. "Right?"

He had almost expected another argument, but the Doctor didn't insist. Bucky must have been convincing enough for his standards, whatever those were.

"Right," he said. Bucky started moving to get up, but he waved a hand and knelt down in front of him, instead. "Ready?"

He nodded. The Doctor placed his fingers on his temples and looked straight at him. His eyes looked very, very old.

"This might hurt," he warned him, like that was new. Bucky forced a grin. 

"Bring it."

It did hurt, but it wasn't as bad as he had expected. He felt the beginnings of a headache - a normal one, nothing like that awful chair. But that was just at first. Then everything _burned_ all of a sudden, and he screamed, and the world went black.

* * *

He woke up on the couch in Donna's living room. He had a splitting headache, which really wasn't a surprise given the circumstances, but other than that he seemed to be okay. The lighting hadn't changed much. That was a good sign; he couldn't have been unconscious for very long. Donna was sitting nearby, with a magazine and a cup of tea, and she turned to look at him as soon as she heard him shift to sit up.

"You're awake!" she said, wasting no time to go sit next to him. She nudged him a little so he'd scoot over and give her some room. "So what happened? Did it work?"

"I don't know." He frowned slightly. "I don't feel any different. Back home, they were supposed to test this, you know? They had all the proper medical equipment and stuff, and brain scans from before to compare with the after, that kind of thing."

"So we still need to get you home," she said. Bucky sighed.

"Pretty much, yeah."

After all, the only other way to figure it out was if someone tried to make the trigger words work again. He really wasn't looking forward to that. He should have asked the Doctor about how to check, he supposed, but that was a useless realization. Not only was he nowhere to be seen, his blue box wasn't in the room anymore, either. He had to be long gone.

"I didn't even get to say thanks," he muttered, almost to himself. Donna gave him a lopsided grin.

"He said it was better if he left as soon as possible," she explained. "I think he kind of wanted to run away, but... my headache did go away when he did. So there's that."

"You okay?" Bucky asked. What he really wanted to do was apologize, over and over, like it'd never be enough. But he knew how she'd react and he wasn't up to having that argument again. Not right now.

"Of course I am," she said. "Sure, it's been a long day. But I'm in one piece, right? And that room needed remodeling anyway."

Bad joke as it may be, he appreciated the intention behind it, anyway. He even managed a small smile. He swallowed yet another apology and said the next best thing.

"Thanks for putting up with me, Donna."

"Oh, shut up. Don't go all sad on me now. Look - you're a good kid, all right? And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Actually," he pointed out, doing his best to keep a straight face, "I'm pushing a hundred."

That made her laugh, which was the whole idea.

"Well, you don't look it, that's for sure."

Bucky laughed, too, and he was close to making a really terrible joke about freezers and being well-preserved but he figured it might be just a little too dark.

"Guess I don't look too bad, huh?" he said instead. Donna elbowed him.

"That's not what I said. You need a haircut."

"... you know what, maybe I do," he replied. "I guess I don't have an excuse anymore."

"You were running, weren't you?"

It wasn't _really_ a question, but Bucky couldn't bring himself to be surprised about that. After all, Donna had managed to read him well enough even before she had most of the relevant information. It was no wonder she'd put two and two together about other things by now. There was no putting off this conversation. He held back a sigh and gave in to the inevitable.

"One of the first things I did when I got away from HYDRA was go to a museum," he said, staring at nowhere in particular. "I didn't remember anything about myself back then. But there was an exhibit about Steve and I figured, I had to start somewhere, right? And then there was this huge picture of my face, right there for anyone to see."

"So you disguised yourself as a caveman," she said, another brave attempt at a joke.

"It even worked, for a while," he chuckled. There was a brief moment of silence, and out the corner of his eye he could see Donna looking at him, her expression soft. He frowned. "What?"

"It must have been tough. But you remember now, don't you?" she asked. "You got those memories back."

Bucky hesitated for a moment. This was something he hadn't really talked about with anyone yet. Not even Steve - well, no, _especially_ not Steve. The more detailed answer to that wasn't the one he'd like to hear, Bucky knew that much.

"Some of them did. It's complicated," he admitted. "If I remember something like my Ma's cooking, I know that's all me. But a lot of things are just public knowledge. What I did in the war, or even my friends back then... I can't be sure what I _know_ or what I just read somewhere. I can't tell if I remember Dum Dum's stupid hat or if I just saw enough pictures, you know? And there's probably a lot that just won't come back at all."

It felt weird, saying all of that aloud. But also kind of a relief - like he hadn't realized how much it was stressing him to keep that to himself, until it was out in the open. Donna didn't answer immediately, but she was smiling a little when she did.

"I don't know if this should make me feel better," she said, "but it sort of helps."

"I'm not saying you don't need those memories, 'cause I know it sucks. But you'll be okay." He smiled back at her, and it felt so much easier, this time. "You're pretty great."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm just... me."

"Yeah. I know." Donna raised her eyebrows at him, and he put on his most innocent face. "Not that I mean to brag, but the last time I thought someone was pretty great, he turned out to be Captain America."

"How in the world is that not bragging?"

He shrugged.

"It's true."

For a second, it looked like Donna was going to argue. Or deflect things with a joke, maybe. Then she just laughed, with genuine mirth, and let herself relax.

"You know, I think I'm starting to believe you people might have a point and it's not just Shaun being biased." She tilted her head. "Huh. I should tell him about the travel thing."

"What thing?"

"Well, it's just - the Doctor reminded me of it. We always did want to travel around the world. Having adventures, and the like. Turns out I'm good at adventures." 

"You should do it," Bucky said. He'd tried to make it sound casual, but it didn't really work. "Go out there. Have fun."

"You know what? Let's make a deal," she replied. "I'll go and travel the world and all of that, but you need to promise me that you're going to start over properly. No more hiding in the freezer for you. If this mind thingy worked, then there's no excuse."

His first instinct was to refuse. To tell her, at the very least, that it wasn't a good idea. But it had been a very long couple of days, and Donna was hard to argue with, and... well. And she was _right_. He took a deep breath before he answered.

"Okay," he said, very quiet. "Okay. I just need to figure out how to do that, I guess."

"Ah! That reminds me - the Doctor left this for you." She handed him a small piece of paper. "Said you should give a call if you decided to stay. That has to be a start, right?"

Bucky took the note from her. All it said was _Kate Stewart_ , and a phone number. No explanation of who that was, or what to expect at all if he did call. He sighed, resigned, but tucked it carefully in his pocket. He'd need it, he was sure of that. Just as he was sure that 'decided' was a euphemism.

"So he doesn't think I can go back, huh."

"I don't know. I didn't get that impression," Donna said, although she didn't sound too convinced about that herself. "Maybe he thinks you have a choice."

"It's not really a choice if there's no way home."

The universe, it seemed, still loved to prove him wrong about everything. He had barely finished speaking when a weird circle of orange lights appeared in the middle of the air. A tall Asian man with his hair shaved and an impassive face stepped out, as if he was just walking through an open doorway.

"Sergeant Barnes, yes?" he asked. "And you must be Ms. Noble."

Donna didn't look at all impressed.

"Is the entire multiverse going to show up in my living room?"

"I certainly hope not," the man said, and then turned towards Bucky. "My name is Wong. I'm here to take you home, if that's what you want."

"... wait. _What_ is going on here?" Bucky asked. "I'm not about to cross dimensions with some guy I've just met."

"Good thing I am not 'some guy', then." Wong's expression still hadn't changed at all. "The Doctor asked me to come and get you. He might claim he dislikes sorcerers, but he clearly has no problem asking favors from librarians."

"I have a hard time picturing him asking favors," Donna asked, lifting her eyebrows. There was an almost imperceptible twitch in the corner of Wong's mouth.

"We might have owed him a couple of favors in turn."

It did sound legit, Bucky had to admit that. A librarian sorcerer was far from the weirdest thing he'd heard about, and Wong seemed to be on the level. This was his ticket home. He could feel Donna's stare on him, distracting him from his thoughts. He turned to look at her with a little smile.

"I have to go," he said, almost apologetic. "I-- There are people waiting for me. And I need to find out if this worked."

"I know." She smiled back at him, and if her expression was a little strained, well. He wasn't one to judge. "But we do have a deal, yes?"

"Absolutely."

He stood up from the couch and offered his hand. Donna took it, got up too, and then surprised him with a full bear hug. Bucky tensed for a second - he hadn't expected this at all - but finally allowed himself to relax into it. It'd been a long time since he'd had a proper hug, he realized. Way too long.

"Thanks," he whispered. "For everything."

"Don't get all sappy." She punched him lightly on the shoulder as she moved away. Her eyes were a little red. "Just... Take care."

"Promise," he said. This was only going to get more difficult if he kept drawing it out, so he turned to Wong. "I'm ready."

"You only need to step through the portal," Wong explained. "I will close it behind us."

It sounded simple enough. No more putting it off, then. Bucky approached the circle of light, peering at the other side. He could see the white rooms of a familiar Wakandan lab. A new start, waiting for him. That was the deal.

He looked back to give Donna one last smile, and then he went home.


	6. Epilogue

Donna kept her side of the deal. Once she got started, it wasn't even an effort. There was a whole lot to do out there, as it turned out, if you had the time and the money for it. She and Shaun had enough of both to spare. They did all of the obvious things, climbing mountains and swimming with tropical fish and trekking in far away places, but somehow it always took a turn for the weird. Donna seemed to have a magnet for trouble. That, or maybe she was just nosy. Either way she was not complaining. It was much more fun like this.

Even so, every once in a while they had to come back home. A vacation from the vacations, Shaun called it jokingly, but he had a point. Home was the place to have some quiet time for a change.

Which was why she didn't expect it at all when Bucky showed up at her door again.

At first, she almost didn't recognize him, and not only because he was ringing the doorbell like a normal person instead of crashing from the sky. It could have been the shave and haircut, perhaps, or his new and literally shiny prosthetic arm. Or maybe it was just the smile. He looked so much younger.

"Bucky?" she whispered. "How-- What are you doing here?"

"Starting over." He offered her a box wrapped in bright paper. "And I brought you chocolates. You know, as thanks."

She took the box and stared at it. Then she stared at Bucky. It took her a moment to react and finally move away from the entrance, motioning for him to follow.

"Get in here. You're telling me the whole story."

He didn't argue, which wasn't surprising, but he didn't look resigned this time - quite the contrary. There was that confusing boyish grin again. Donna shook her head as she walked. Nice as it was, this was going to take some getting used to.

"I'm not here to ask for anything," he said, unprompted, before they even reached the living room. "I've got a place to rent, and a job. I'm all set. It's just... it's all thanks to you, really. So I figured you should know I'm around."

"Yes, yes, we'll get to that later." She sat down on the sofa and patted the place at her side so he'd join her. "How are you even in this universe? What happened?"

"Well - I got home. They _were_ looking for me, but luckily I was only gone for a couple of days, and Wong explained what happened before things got too complicated. Then I had a lot of brain scans." He made a pause for effect, even though the results were obvious just from how happy he looked. Still, Donna couldn't begrudge him that little bit of drama. "Turns out, no one has any idea of what the Doctor did to my head, but it worked. No more trigger words."

"That's wonderful," Donna said, and she meant it. "But then why aren't you home?"

Judging from Bucky's reaction, that was precisely the right question. He hesitated for a moment, as if looking for the right words. 

"Because... because it wasn't home anymore, I guess. It hadn't been for a long time. I kept thinking a lot about what you told me, you know, about getting a new start. And eventually I realized that's not something I could have there. Not really." He looked at her with a sheepish grin. "I guess that kinda sounds like I'm running away."

"Maybe you are," she replied, blunt as ever. "Maybe that's not a bad thing. But what about your friends?"

"My friends needed a lot of convincing." For the first time, his smile turned a little sad. Donna had to make a considerable effort not to pat his head like he was a kid. "Steve... just wants me to be okay, I think. In the end, he went and contacted Wong again himself. I'm gonna miss him, but-- I get to have a life, here. A proper life without being paranoid all the time. He gets that."

Donna had plenty of questions about that. If Wong could come and go like that - if so many people could, apparently - didn't it mean this wasn't irreversible? Sure, it couldn't be as easy as just dropping by at a friend's house, but maybe it didn't _have_ to be a 'forever' thing. Still... that didn't feel like the right thing to say, at least not for now. It looked like Bucky needed the closure. In any case, she didn't stop her instincts this time, and went straight for the hug. Bucky tensed at first, clearly surprised, but that didn't last long.

"Thanks," he whispered. 

"Don't make me share my chocolates," she joked as she let him go at last, and that got him to laugh. Good. Time to change the subject before things got awkward again. "So... You got a place. And a job."

He brightened up immediately, just as planned.

"Oh, yes! I did call that Stewart lady, first thing after I got here," he explained. "Turns out it she works with aliens. It's an organization that -- well, it does a lot of things, really, and a lot of it is incredibly classified, but the point is that they have experience relocating aliens that get stranded here for one reason or another. Apparently humans from a different universe count, too. And I've got skills they can use. I'm good in a crisis."

"So now you've got an incredibly classified job?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He laughed again, quieter now, and then his expression mellowed. "But it's a job for the good guys. I want to help people, you know? Not just not hurt anyone. I want to do something good for a change."

"See?" Donna told him. She was aiming for a teasing tone, but it came out a lot softer than that. "I knew you were a good kid."

He shrugged, averting his gaze.

"I'm not so sure about that. I'm trying, in any case."

"And that's enough." She squeezed his hand a little. He didn't protest, so she took the moment and ran with it. "Well. That, and you _have_ to come visit, when I'm not traveling around. Deal?"

Bucky stared at her for a moment, and then he grinned.

"Why not?" he said. "Last one worked out great."


End file.
